Scientists Build Case that Zipingpu Dam Triggered China’s Devastating Earthquake
Probe International has compiled articles and testimony from scientists who say it is possible that the Zipingpu Dam played a direct role in the devastating earthquake in Sichuan in May 2008. From their introduction:
Since China’s deadly May 12 earthquake, Fan Xiao, China’s chief engineer of the Regional Geology Investigation Team of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau, has been a lone voice calling for an investigation into the possibility that the Zipingpu dam reservoir, just a few kilometers from the epicenter, might have induced the earthquake. Now, he is joined by Christian Klose, a geophysical hazards research scientist from Columbia University in New York, who agrees and explains, using geophysical data, how it likely happened.
[...] Representatives from the Chinese Academy of Science, meanwhile, are denying that the Zipingpu dam had anything but good effects on the region. In China’s own Science Times, dam and earthquake safety engineering experts from the Academy dismiss the idea that Zipingpu induced or triggered the devastating earthquake. But, in the absence of independent scientific analysis and a review of the data on seismic activity and reservoir levels, which Chinese authorities are keeping under wraps, it would be imprudent to dismiss the likelihood that China’s deadly earthquake was, indeed, reservoir induced.
See the two related articles from Probe International:
“Chinese geologist says Zipingpu dam reservoir may have triggered China’s deadly quake, calls for investigation” by Fan Xiao
“Columbia geophysical hazards scientist says evidence shows dam reservoir likely triggered China’s great quake of 2008”
See also “an excellent collection of maps, seismic readings, names of dams damaged by the Great Sichuan Quake of 2008, as well as photographs of the dams” from Water India.
All of CDT’s coverage of the earthquake and the recovery effort can be found here.
POSTED COMMENTS: 2 Responses
How could the water which seeped inside produce an earthquake?
Earthquake is caused due to the movement of the land is a myth. The most important thing that is missing in this view is that there is no explanation for why earthquake occurs in the centre of the land instead of the peripheral area.
Actually the land is rising in different places. This is the reason why earthquakes occur only in the central parts of the land.
To be specific, after an earthquake occurred on September 30th of 1993, in the village named Killari, it was found that the land had risen about three feet in height.
This shows that the rise of the land is the cause of the earthquake.
Earthquake is the effect of the rise of the land
On September 30th 1993, the earthquake that hit the village, killari, situated in central part of India resulted in the death of more than eight thousand people and raised the land surface about three feet high.
This elevation was seen in an area of around two kilometers.
Why did the earthquake occur?
The quake occurred only in killari, situated in central India and left two kilometers of land area raised. This proves that the earthquake occurred only due to the rise of the land.
Apart from this, the pictures taken by the satellite before the quake showed that the temperature of killari had also risen and the pictures taken after the quake showed it to be normal.
After the earthquake occurred, on the borders of Andhra and Karnataka white colored smoke emitted from the ground.
Why did the land rise? Why was the temperature more? Why did the land emit white colored smoke?
We know that the molten rock material called magma is found inside the earth as we have seen it coming out through volcanoes.
In the same way, when the molten rock, lava flows on the earth’s surface, we can see the condensed steam and other gases in the form of white colored smoke.
As the water and other hot gases are eliminated as steam, the molten rock cools down and turned in to rock.
In the same way when the molten rock inside the earth starts cooling, water and
Other hot gases come out in the form of white smoke. Due to this, the temperature of the land rises.
Moreover when the molten rock cools and as the water and hot gases get released, the rocky plates that are formed are of less thickness.
For example: water has a higher density and the ice cubes formed from it have a lower density and float on water.
Likewise, the molten rock material which has a higher density produces rocky plates which have a lower density and move above the level of the molten rock.
In the same way, when new plates are produced by the molten rock material, they start moving upwards there by pushing the plates which were already formed. On account of this movement, the edges of the plates rub against each other thereby causing earthquakes.
For example, in 1356 an earthquake occurred in the city Basel in Switzerland which is situated in central Europe .
In the same city, an organization which produces electricity using the heat from underground, drilled two holes of five meters each on the earth in the year 2006.
The project was to send cold water through the first hole which would be changed into steam using the heat of the molten rock and pushed out through the second hole and by rotating dynamos; this would be converted into electricity.
But, on the eighth day after the water was sent inside the earth, in the same place, the Richter scale recorded an earthquake with an intensity of 3.4.
Even if atom bombs are tested underground, earthquakes do not occur. How could the water which seeped inside produce an earthquake?
This clearly shows that the water which seeped inside the earth cooled the molten rock which in turn formed new plates that rose up and caused the earthquake.
Yours faithfully,
Scientist, g.ponmudi,
chennai.
The theory of plate tectonic is well proven as the cause, and the rise of land is the result of land succession.